Gerold Louis "Jerry" Clapp

1934 - 2015

Gerold Louis Clapp
1934 - 2015
Gerold Louis Clapp, "Jerry" was born on April 6, 1934 in Boise, Idaho to the marital union of Louis E. Clapp and Margaret A. Robbins. That would be the formal version, but Jerry would tell his friends that he was born on a kitchen table in the mining town of Stibnite, then moved to the red light district of Wallace and then onto the Idaho State Penitentiary where his father Lou was Warden. While all of this is true, if you knew Jerry you knew he had a mischievous sense of humor and a gift for telling wonderful stories. Jerry started his family with his first wife Shirley Hire in Wendell where he was a sodium pentothal technician at a alcohol rehabilitation center. He then moved to Boise where he eventually became Clerk of the U.S. Courts in the District of Idaho. Jerry took immense pride in this position and would often say he was Clerk of the great and sovereign district of Idaho. On July 27, 1979, Jerry married Bette Joe Engelking and moved to Nampa where they raised a combined family of five children. At age 52, Jerry retired from the U.S Court and fulfilled his dream to build a home on Cascade Lake. In Cascade, Jerry focused on his land investments, gambling with his friend Omar in Jackpot and making new friends. Jerry lived his life on his terms, loved people and cherished his family and friends. Jerry is survived by his wife, Bette Joe; his eight children, Debbie, Christopher, John, Roch, Kim, Greg, Jill and Michelle; his seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at St. Kathrine Drexel Church on Monday, November 16, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. under the direction of the Heikkila Funeral Chapel.